The Howe Sound Women's Centre Society this week received almost $200,000 to help abused women in the Sea to Sky Corridor live more independently.
On Tuesday (Nov. 1), the federal government handed $196,230 to the centre for a six-month pilot project to create initiatives to give women fleeing abuse continued options so they don't feel dependant on abusive partners.
"Statistics showed women go back to abusive husbands [on average] seven times," said Sheila Allen, the society's executive director.
Once women have left a transition house, there is often the "what now" factor, she said. Some have no previous experience in managing their own finances or may have been out of the workforce for some time, Allen said. Over the next six months, women's centre officials want to develop a program that will allow women to live on their own without having to rely on abusive partners, she said.
The grant is a part of Status of Women Canada's Blueprint Projects initiative. The projects aim to improve women's economic security and prosperity. For 30 years, the Howe Sound Women's Centre Society (HSWCS) has worked to meet the needs of women and children in the Sea to Sky Corridor, John Weston, West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky MP, said in a statement.
"This project will improve access to and the quality of services for women facing violence, and it will benefit the region for years to come," Weston said.
There is impressive social and economic diversity in the Sea to Sky Corridor, said Megan Bulloch, HSWCS president. That includes Aboriginal women living in isolated communities and immigrant women seeking seasonal employment, she noted.
"By targeting these groups, we are reaching out to women who might otherwise not get help," Bulloch said.
For more information on the centre and its services visit www.hswc.seatoskycommunity.org.
